Black British racing-car driver mocked by Spanish fans
Spanish sports fans are well known for mocking representatives of opposing teams in most sports. And they particularly dislike black sportsmen playing for predominantly white countries. They seem to see that as unfair or not properly representative so they abuse such sportsmen in various ways, shouting "monkey" at them etc.
Lewis Hamilton is a British champion racing car driver who looks a lot like Obama and is also of mixed parentage. So when Lewis Hamilton raced recently in Spain, some mockery was to be expected. Some fans wore blackface makeup and Afro wigs and some racist slurs were "clearly heard".
Bernard Ecclestone, an elderly British racing car boss, is a man from a more robust era when men were expected to take a fair bit of joshing without bursting into tears. He was apparently present during the race and was not offended by what went on. So we read:
"Bernie Ecclestone was accused of condoning the racist abuse of Lewis Hamilton last night as the controversy over the treatment of Britain's new world champion roared back to life... A leading anti-racist pressure group accused Ecclestone of setting a "shocking and disgraceful" example after the Formula One commercial rights holder said that he regarded the conduct of fans who taunted Hamilton in Barcelona this year as "a bit of a joke".
Hamilton, however, said that he did not consider funny the behaviour of Spanish fans - who hurled abuse at him, blacked up their faces and wore wigs plus T-shirts inscribed with the legend "Hamilton's family".
Source
It sounds to me that some attention-seeking "activists" have revived what was seen as a fairly minor problem at the time.
4 comments:
If he can drive and win in F-1 racing, then he is a champion regardless of his color.
As for the Leftist activists, most of whom were White i'd bet, they should understand that, what is racist to some, is simply opinion to others. Since Britain, like the US, is clearly headed for the far-Left, look for freedoms to be "manipulated and tweeked" by those on the Left as never before! The Left does not tolerate acts, opinions, or speech they do not agree with or approve of. Political correctness will be come the law of the land, or should i say lands!
I'll Take that bet. Click my name
Jon, it was a bit more specific than that. The Spanish fans hated Lewis Hamilton because, in his rookie year in Formula 1, he was beating their idol Fernando Alonso, then the defending world champion. They would have hated this highly successful young whippersnapper, no matter what his colour or his nationality. I think there was some racism at the Spanish Grand Prix, but the anti Hamilton web site that is the cause of the current fuss is just hatred of someone doing better than their hero. Bernie Ecclestone is quite right. (And incidentally, at the Spanish GP, Ecclestone was all for going personally to remonstrate with the individual racists, but the Spanish police stopped him). But when you are a leftist desperately searching for racism, the truth is of no importance.
I wonder how these Liberal Spanish will react when President Obama makes an official State visit to Spain?
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